<font color=blue>wonder if I can rework my hoe's hydraulics to mimic that of a john deere?</font color=blue>
Not only do I not know how the controls of a JD work, I dont know if it can be done.. but that said
After driving over some tree remains in the woods, the tire kicked up a several foot long log and did it's best to ramrod itself THROUGH all the plumbing I have in the back for my hoe. I noticed a small problem when the hoe simply dropped down to the ground like a giraffe with a shot to the head... and then upon my trying to raise it by pulling the requisite lever, the strange spewing of what appeardd to be giraffe blood 10 feet out the back end of the machine. (or a giraffe with a terrible bladder problem /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif )
Anyway, long story short, ripped 2 hoses up, AND twisted up the "steel pipe manifold" that's back there to "hard wire" the fluid around the knuckle (or what ever you call the pivot for hoe)
Since the manifold (which is only 3 welded pipes (into one unit) of various length, longest one probably 24 inches... but they are bent to be form fitted) cost something like $800 to replace /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif /w3tcompact/icons/shocked.gif (yes... $$$ for 3 pipes that have hoses hooked on each end) sigh..
I turned that idea down, and just put some elbows on the new hoses I used to fix my problem.
Upshot..
I dont know if there are different "flow rates" through the manifold that might effect the function of any particular circut, but on Brutus, (flow rate not withstanding), I know that I'd be VERY able, even with my limited skills, to simply replumb the hoses on the manifold and make the controls act as I might want.
Seems to me, be real easy to find out, just call JCB and ask about the flow rates for each circut. I'd suspect that if all same, you can move around at will... I know we did that on the stabilizers. Either they came plumbed wrong, or were backward to our intuition. When machine was bought, the stabilizers when DOWN, when you moved lever UP, and we thought it made more sense to have them go down when lever was moved down. So, we changed it.
have no clue if this helps, but we can only try /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif
Richard